What tactics do you use to get your family to look away from technology in favour of real quality time? – £150 voucher prize draw NOW CLOSED

[MichelleMumsnet]

DTAC have asked us to find out how Mumsnetters encourage their family to look up from technological devices to spend more quality time with each other.

You can view their TV ad .

So, do you ever find that you can’t drag your children (or DP?) out of their room away from their gadgets? What tactics do you use to get your family to put away their technology away and spend more quality time together? Perhaps you always make sure that mealtimes are screen free? Maybe you bribe encourage your children to spend more time together by letting them choose fun days out to go on together as a family? Or do you resort to switching off the wifi at home when you want to get your DC (or DP!) away from their computer? Whatever it is we’d love to hear it!

Everyone who comments on the thread will be entered into a prize draw to win a £150 Love2Shop voucher.

Thanks and good luck,

MNHQ

[Babycarmen]

Limit their time, no gadgets while eating, at least one day a week with NO tv/ipod/tablet etc. You just need to find a balance.

[OutwiththeOutCrowd]

Beseeching and bribery?

I wish I could just say that's enough techno-time now, but it's very hard to get DC to take you seriously when you have a bit of a computer addiction yourself.

Best to get yourself sorted first and then set a good example.

[Bonsoir]

No screens or telephones at meals ever. All meals eaten together.

[KateOxford]

I tell my son aged 4 he will get square eyes! He actually looks quite worried and promptly turns the iPad/ tv off. We do have family discussions about what we would like to do that day and always try to think of different and fun things to do, making the most of the weather or things that are on. We used to have very little family time with all 4 of us so we always like to make the most of it. I took my son swimming for the first time today and his face was priceless. Trying new things and experiencing new places together are what we enjoy most.

[tinymummy300]

This is a real issue as my kids this year too old for summer 'play schemes' so are likely to spend hours while we are at work on computers... DH and I have taken alternate days leave and worked it like this:

Summer Holiday Meal policy: kids prepare evening meal menu and come to supermarket to help get ingredients, take turns to cook evening meal.

Summer Holiday Project: decorate kids', age 13 and 15, bedrooms.

Day 1. Mum and ds declutter and 'clean' bedroom, 5 bin bags full of outgrown clothes and toys
Day 2. Mum and ds clean the walls, move furniture, books out etc
Day 3. ds go to diy with Dad, buy brushes, choose and buy paint
Day 4. more painting
Day 5. replace all books etc.

Week 2: repeat as above with DD

Week 3,4, ??
Week 5,6, go on family holiday.

Provided temporary break from computer - but here am I - on the computer typing this.... :)

[BigfootFiles]

Enforce screen breaks. Only have one tablet so they have to share/only one can use it at a time.

[IwishIwasmoreorganised]

We eat at the table - no tech.

We have pass codes on the iPads so we stay in control of who's spending time on them.

We have just bought books to encourage them away from the screens while planning tomorrow's session (Minecraft)

We go out a lot - to the beach, park, woods, friends houses etc so no screen time and discourage screen time if friends come here. There's plenty of other things to do and tech is low down on the list of alternatives.

As a family when we camp, we go low tech.

We don't have strict limits, just plenty of alternatives.

[HappySunflower]

I do the following:

Set a timer so as to restrict the amount of time on the iPad/PC
Plan for changes in routines making sure that there's time out in the dhs air to let off steam and get some physical exercise.

[ShineSmile]

Eat at table

No TV. Limit use of iPad/Computer

Plenty of books and toys

Try to do more activities together.

[lpbarton]

Lego - eitehr that or we pack up and head for a picnic and explore! National Trust are wonderful for this!

[Mummageddon]

We limit screen time from an early age, and it helps to be consistent, e.g. no means no and ignore tantrums.

We also do plenty of outdoors activities, yesterday it was paddling pool in the garden and going up to the park.

[momofmonster]

It depends on what i want him to do. If it involves playing, going to park/relatives, baking cakes, etc then DS (5) is happy to stop playing on the ipad/computer to do those things (he has once thrown the ipad down to run to get on his bike when i suggested going out side and my heart stopped)
If it is not that exciting - such as sit down to eat dinner/go to bed - then i give him a limit - he is allowed one more game/5 more minutes and this usually does the trick as he thinks he is being allowed extra time to play before bed/dinner so he will usually turn it off when i say time is up.

[PlanetArghhh]

I used to worry about too much Tech in the house but have resigned myself to the fact that it is an integral part of life now… and the fact that DH’s business is IT so it is inevitably a big part of our family life.

Apart from a slight obsession with Angry Birds and Minecraft, our DS’s also use their iPads for positive stuff like making films, taking photos, researching for homework/hobbies etc and they both have a lot of fun educational apps downloaded too. We are quite strict though at making sure they stop using their tablets/computer at least an hour before bed time so that they have a decent chance of relaxing and winding down for a good night’s sleep. Showing them the occasional article in the newspaper about how the brain reacts to the light of the screen and how iPads/tablets interfere with sleep patterns also helps…and neither of them want to be wearing glasses ‘like Daddy’ sooner than is inevitable!

In the summer holidays especially, we actively encourage them to be outdoors more and take them to the beach/forest for picnics and a good runabout. Also, we kick off July with a trip to the toyshop for a treat of some good old-fashioned non-techy toys (this year’s big hit is Lego!) and that keeps them busy… usually making models of the characters in their app games!

My trump card is using a temporary ‘Tech-Ban’ if they are naughty - which can range from an hour to a few days if the behaviour warrants it! I’m pleased to say though that they are both fairly good kids and, at the tender ages of 9 and 8, they already have a reasonably balanced and sensible attitude towards technology.

[stealthsquiggle]

For the moment, we impose tech-free meals by not doing anything to adds the fact that the wifi doesn't stretch to the kitchen (where we eat all our meals, unless we are eating outside, as we have been lately). This is at least as much to force no tech at the table on me and DH as it is for the DC.

[telsa]

Luckily my children would still rather go outside and play than stare into the iPad. Long may it continue. If it is wet and they are still designing virtual loom bands or some such, I tempt them away by getting them to cook with me or by all reading together.

[gingercat12]

Screentime is limited to 10 minutes a day for 6-year-old DS. If he does not want to step away from the laptop, the wifi mysteriously goes away...

[CheeryName]

I buy board games from the charity shop and we play them after dinner. It's really nice spending the time together.

[AmericasTorturedBrow]

We don't do screens at the table and have one family iPad and one family tv that has the only games console attached

My big worry is DH spends so much time on screens that he's leading by example which is hard for me to offset

[CalamitouslyWrong]

I don't have a problem with my family using ICT. I don't have to come up with 'tactics' to entice them away from screens. We eat dinner at a table; the children play outside/with toys; ds2 devises complex art projects and gets on with it; ds1 reads loads; we go to the park/beach/out for other stuff. N

[CalamitouslyWrong]

None of it involves me coming up with ideas to lure them away from screens.

[CalamitouslyWrong]

Also (and this is important) much of the device use is social. We watch tv or films together and chat about them. DH plays videogames with ds1 and they chat about tactics/problem solve together. Ds1 uses his iPad and ps4 to talk to his dad all the time, and they play games together. Ds1 helps ds2 to play a game or ds2 watches and chats away to ds1 while he's playing his games.

It silly to assume that device use is antisocial and solitary.

[trice]

I invite friends round or go out for the day. They only use tech when there is nothing more fun to do.

[billybear]

just who is in charge , we limit tv and game use , enjoy a family walk and picnic, do not put up with moaning , fresh air is good for us all. its just getting out of a habit to get everyone up and out together

[GetKnitted]

Kids are very small so what we say goes. So we just turn it off when they've had enough

[zoemaguire]

I just drag them away and offer alternative entertainment. With TV, we establish in advance how many cbeebies programmes they will watch (usually 3x 10 mins). Definitely no screens at table. They are only little still. May need to rethink when they get older!